Of The Waves And The Winds
by SunlitSky21
Summary: "Nothing in life is to be feared,It is to be understood." When Percy develops an irrational fear,a special person pays him a visit!


_**Rick owns PJO,HOO. NOT ME.**_

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For Percy, after everything he had gone through, from nearly drowning in the water of the spirits in Rome, from getting trapped in a fish tank, just to name a few he was getting somewhat afraid of water. It was not exactly fear of it but fear that it would no longer obey him, no longer be his friend. Thus, this unease only grew when it came to the point that whenever he sat on the beach in camp Half Blood, he could no longer feel at peace. Every time he took a dip in the ocean he held his breath for a moment till he remembered that he could breathe underwater. It was an irrational fear, the son of Poseidon being afraid of water? But could anyone really blame him after all he had suffered? Percy didn't show it but Tartarus had affected him. The effect had lessened a lot but he still woke up screaming sometimes at night. He could not even tell Annabeth of his fear because he felt ashamed in doing so. Now you, the reader, might be wondering. then how did he get rid of his fear? Well, let me tell you that story, of how Percy overcame his fear.

 **-Percy POV-**

It was a sunny and beautiful day. The ocean was calm and a blue so clear, you could almost see the sea-floor. I was sitting near the beach, watching the ocean water glitter in the sun. Annabeth was busy drawing some designs. So, I was alone. This, naturally, gave my ADHD brain time to wander. "Ah!"I thought. "A clear sky, a beautiful weather, just another day in paradise." Now, for most people paradise would mean a tropical island and a Piña colada. But for me? It was Camp Half Blood. Well, now many of you may be thinking, gee, Percy, when did you get so sappy and poetic? My answer to that will be: saving the world, fighting Queen Dirt face, going through Tartarus, It does that to a guy. I know, horrifying, right? Oh and speaking of Tartarus, that was not fun. I still get nightmares. It's not like I wanted to wake up in a cold sweat every night, but what can I say? It's a demigod's life. Sleeping with Annabeth did help but It still did not make it disappear. Hmm...That came out the wrong way. Anyways, coming back to the point, where was I? Ah, yes! Beautiful weather, clear sea, yada, yada. In fact, if it would have been before the Giant war, I would have just gone for a swim. But now, I'm not so sure. I know, I know by saying this, I am probably going to be kicked out of Poseidon's Junior Sea Scouts but still, For a son of Poseidon, drowning is one of the most terrifying experiences that you can have. In Rome, when I almost drowned in the polluted water of the nymphs, and when I was poisoned by Polybotes In my element, Frankly speaking, I felt so powerless and terrified. Hence, the fear of water. See, it was not exactly the water that I feared. It was whether it would obey me, whether it would assist me or not, that worried me. Sighing, I got up and shook my head, trying to clear the bad thoughts. I started walking away when all of a sudden I heard someone say, "Percy". I slowly looked back and saw Poseidon. Yep, you heard it right. The one and only Poseidon, Earthshaker, Stormbringer, The Sea God, and _my dad_. I turned around and stared at him. Finally,I asked him, "What are you doing here?"It came out harsher than I meant it to. I guess I was still bitter about us having to save the gods' godly butts once again while they did almost absolutely nothing(Except throwing us and our ship right across the globe to Camp Half-Blood, which by the way, was _not fun_ at all)He winced but forced a smile and said," Nothing, just visiting my favourite son."

I instantly became suspicious. But can you really blame me? Usually gods pay you a visit because they want something done. ( _Cough,Hermes,Cough_ ).But It seemed like my father had read my mind or guessed what I was thinking( you never really know with gods).He smiled but it was a smile that looked almost…pained. "I'm not going to ask you a favour or ask you to do anything, Perseus."

I was surprised by this .So I asked him curiously, "Then why are you here?" He replied," _As a father_."I was confused by this but before I could say anything,Poseidon continued," My son, I know you don't think that I love you. Frankly, we gods are not good at parenting."On seeing my expression which seemed to say ' _ya think_?' he backtracked and said," You are right. We are horrible at it. But we do care for you. We love you demigods as we love our own immortal children and sometimes much more than that."

At that point, I snapped. I don't know if it was due to my father admitting his love for me now or all my pent up stress and sorrow from the war. I grew really, really angry. The sea around me started bubbling and gurgling and the tides and waves became more violent. I shouted at my father, "You're lying!How could you gods really love us? Aren't we half mortal, just demigods? Aren't most demigods born out of lust and not love?".Normally,I would never say something like this because I truly believed that Poseidon loved my mother but even then I always had a niggling doubt at the back of my mind and combined with the pain and sorrow of the war,it just burst out of , Poseidon replied with an intensity that shocked me."Don't ever say that! Each and every god, even Zeus, even Aphrodite loved the mortals, may it be a man or woman, with whom we had you, our children. We always have and always will. Lust is just not a strong or genuine enough emotion for a god."

After listening to all this, I was about to retort but suddenly, just like the sea, his countenance changed. He suddenly looked weary and old. He said,"It's not easy being an immortal, Percy. To watch the ones you gave your heart to, die, from old age while you remain untouched by time. It is one of the greatest curses of immortality. We gods never forget. Even now I still remember all of them. Each and every woman that I have loved and sired a child with." Hearing all this, I was stunned into silence. The pain,grief and loneliness in my father's voice and face astounded me. Poseidon continued," Do you know why we love our demigod children? There is another reason. Every time we look at you, not only do we see ourselves but also the brilliant and heartwarming mortals that we have loved. You carry a piece of them and to us, it makes you precious. But more than that, it is seeing you grow that makes us the most happy. Percy, for me, your life, your growth and the wonderful man you've become, seeing all of it gives me the greatest happiness. You are so like me and Sally and yet so completely different. I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you, but what I am going to ask of you now is something that I'm asking not as a god, but as a father. So, Perseus, will you give me a chance to make it up to you?"

The expression on his face...it almost looked like he was pleading, not asking .Seeing it, I lost all my anger .I reluctantly said,"Alright. So, what do you want?"Poseidon looked grateful but he quickly changed his expression and tone to a more light-hearted one, trying to improve the mood."Nothing, I just wanted you to take a swim with me and what's the term that modern children use? Ah,yes! I wanted us to hang out."

I was stumped.

"That's it?"

Poseidon replied, confused,"Yeah?"

Alright, now I felt really stupid by getting angry. Here's my dad, trying to improve our bond, and I throw a hissy fit? Feeling sheepish, I scratched the back of my neck and said "Alright". Poseidon beamed at this. He turned around and walked into the sea, gesturing me to follow him. I followed suit. On reaching the bottom, I saw him standing, well, more like levitating .I raised an eyebrow, and asked him "I thought you said swimming?"Now, it was Poseidon's turn to look sheepish. He said,"I did say that, didn't I? Well, Ignore that."My eyebrow twitched in annoyance. Was this really the feared earthshaker? My dad awkwardly coughed into his fist, which looked pretty weird underwater but quickly schooling his face to a more neutral one, He said, "Well, let's move on."

I didn't know what he had planned so I followed him, albeit warily. However, it turned out that I had nothing to fear. Honestly speaking, I had a lot of fun. He showed me many cool places, we saw beautiful coral reefs, fishes and we swam with dolphins but more than that, it was his presence that felt the most aura was powerful but warm and comforting. It felt as if the warm currents of the sea were gently caressing my face. I felt safe around him. Even the ocean felt it. Everywhere, I could see things look livelier. The water appeared clearer and bluer, the corals appeared more vibrant. "This is the power of a god", I thought. Just the presence of Poseidon caused all of this. In between all of this, I felt my irrational fear of the sea lessening. It was still there but it no longer seemed that crippling.

It was getting close to evening, and just as the sun was about to set, Poseidon said, "Percy, there is one more thing that I'd like you to see."With that, he grabbed my shoulder and we were above the...wait, is that the ocean? Yes, I suddenly found myself floating a 100 feet off the ocean surface, which is _not freaky_ in any way. However, I was puzzled. Wasn't the sky Zeus's territory? So, how could my father be here? Almost as if he was reading my mind (again), Poseidon smiled amusedly and said,"I know what you're thinking. Well, the answer to that is, we are really not in Zeus's domain. We are still above the ocean, so I'm maintaining you could say, a link to it. Therefore, technically, we are still in my domain. Oh and for the floating part? That is due to my godly essence. Gods don't have a physical form. We can be anywhere we want. What I did was to basically convert your body into a sea breeze-like form."

Looking down at my hands, I could see that he was telling the truth. My hands sort of looked transparent and misty. While I was thinking this, Poseidon looked at me and said,"Perseus, my son."I looked up at his face and saw him smiling gently, with a peaceful and knowing look on his face. His sea green eyes, which I had inherited, were calm and a beautiful, peaceful sea green. I saw in his eyes, millennia of knowledge and wisdom. And I was awed. I remembered the feeling that I had, back when I was 12, when I thought that" How could I be the son of someone so powerful?"And I felt the same thing now. Seeing the big, vast expanse of the ocean and my dad, who was a literal representation of it, I was a little bit humbled and awed. And I felt that stupid fear, again. Suddenly, a warm and strong hand settled on my shoulder, and I saw Poseidon's expression. It was understanding and caring. He said to me,"Percy, don't feel ashamed that you feel fear, for it shows that you are only mortal. Let me tell you a secret. We gods, actually, are a little awed by you mortals. You know that you can die at any moment, you know that you can get hurt, and yet, you still can live, laugh, cry and love. Percy, fear is not a bad thing. It shows to you your weaknesses. Even we gods feel fear. But you know what? That's fine. It shows that even the gods are not perfect. Son, your fear of the sea, it's not stupid or irrational. The ocean is a great and powerful thing. It is the cradle of life, the place from where all living things came. Respect it for it is worthy of that but do not be afraid. You are a son of the sea, a true son of Poseidon, the sea god. The sea will always be your friend and companion. You know why? _Because I love you_. I always have, I always will. Remember, Perseus, you are never alone. I will always be with you."

He pointed to my heart and continued", I will always be there.I am the sea and the sea is me. It will always care for you because _I do_. Even during the times when you couldn't control the water, didn't it ultimately bend to your will? Yes, it took effort and power, but it came to your call. The sea is _inside_ you, Percy. You just have to reach for it and it will be there."

Okay, I admit, I choked up a little. Seeing the love, the fiery pride, the compassion in those eyes, It made me feel all warm inside, like I had drunk nectar, but a million times better. And at that moment I was really grateful and proud, that I had a father like Poseidon. I didn't say anything because no words were needed. We both understood each other perfectly. And together, as father and son, we saw the sunset.

 _ **8 years later**_

When Annabeth told me that we were going to have a baby, I was dumbstruck. I stood there, gaping like a fish, for almost 10 minutes. It was her beautiful laugh that brought me back on Earth. I swept her in a tight hug and spun her around, laughing. After kissing her for, gods know how many minutes, I finally separated from her and said only one word (eloquently, might I add?) "Awesome."

The next day, we were walking through the park where we had our first date. We sat on one of the benches, saying nothing and just enjoying each other's company. Annabeth turned towards me and said,"You know, Percy, I was thinking." I couldn't help but reply sarcastically,"Gee, really? You're always thinking, Wise Girl" Annabeth just punched my shoulder and rolling her eyes, said,"Seaweed Brain, will you let me continue?"After seeing my go on gesture, she continued, "I was thinking of a name for our baby. Mostly girl names because I know that it will be a girl, don't ask me how, I just know."

"But, it could be a boy, too" I said. Annabeth just laughed and said,"Alright, if it is a boy you pick the name. If it is a girl, I will. Deal?" I nodded and asked her, "Well, knowing you, you must have already thought of a name, didn't you?"She replied, smirking,"You know me quite well. "Then her expression changed, it became happy, so happy that I couldn't help but smile along with her. She said, "I was thinking of… Venilia." I asked, confused, "Vanilla? Why do you want to name our daughter after a flavor?" She punched my shoulder, again and said,"No, Seaweed Brain, Venilia, as in the Latin word."

The word quickly clicked into English in my mind. _Of the waves and winds._ I asked her,"Why? Not that I don't like it but still." She replied, "Well, I want our daughter to remember that she always will be a friend of the sea. Someone, who is of the ocean waves and winds, Just like her father and fierce like the storm, just like her mother."

I suddenly remembered that day, a day of sunsets and warmth. I smiled at my amazing wife and said, "It is a beautiful name, Mrs. Jackson."

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 _ **So, what do you think?**_

 _ **Asphodel, Elysium, Tartarus?**_

 _ **Please review.**_

 _ **This is Agranor21,signing out.**_


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